• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, August 23, 2024

Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night was like a class in public speaking.

The former president, now 78, spoke for a half-hour and held the vast audience in the United Center in the palm of his hand. 

How did he do it? The TV Blog attempts to answer that question with these lessons in oratory from Bill Clinton.

Exude self-confidence: Sure, it must be easy by now for Bill Clinton to speak before audiences in the many thousands. But as he demonstrated, relaxing before one’s audience is important because it establishes a connection with them from the get-go.

Avoid fire and brimstone, and speak in conversational tones: Clinton’s speech was less like a “speech” and more like a conversation around the ol’ cracker barrel at the general store. 

The late Paul Harvey once told me that when he did his self-styled newscasts, he imagined he was talking to his Aunt Betty. Clinton seemed to be doing much the same thing.

Maintain an upbeat demeanor: One of Clinton’s charms Wednesday night was that he did not adopt a tone of gloom and doom. This set him apart from other convention speakers. 

Instead, Clinton spoke reassuringly, gently cautioning his Democratic audience not to take their opponent lightly. But at the same time, his tone said, “We got this.”

Speak inclusively: Clinton used the word “we” a lot, as in: I’m just another guy who happens to be a Democrat. We are all in this together.

Be humble: He spoke humbly, in familiar tones, when he talked about the number of jobs created in America by Democrats and Republicans since 1989.

“You’re gonna have a hard time believin’ this,” Clinton said, who frequently left the “g” off his “-ing” words in a folksy way.

“But so help me, I triple-checked it. Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear I checked this three times. Even I couldn’t believe it. What’s the score? Democrats 50, Republicans 1!”

Strive for simple phrases and statements: The above job-creation score was a great example. Others included a shot at Trump’s outsized ego. “The next time you hear him,” Clinton said of Trump, “don’t count the lies, count the ‘I’s’!”

Clinton even used a folksy phrase to describe all of the programs, initiatives and progress Democrats are juggling right how. Said he, “We Democrats right now have a lot of hay in the barn.”

Throughout his speech, he put his ideas and statements in simple terms. “Every four years … people come at the candidates and they say, as they’re saying now: “Here are our problems -- solve them. 

“Here are our opportunities -- seize them. Here are our fears -- ease them. Here are our dreams -- help them come true.”

Vote for Pedro? “Vote for me and all your wildest dreams will come true!” said Pedro in “Napoleon Dynamite” when he ran for student body president. The slogan got him elected.